Slower Days

Having been home for the third day in a row again, life is beginning to feel routine again.  Always, the days just before and just after a hospital visit are tough on me.  It takes a few days for me to settle in.  Yesterday Brendan and I watched Rachel practice her presentation for her writing class.

 We are back to bi-weekly blood draws.  Blood counts look good.  Sodium was up to 139 today.

 Sodium supplements are prescribed 3 times a day again.  The vancomycin taper is down to 1 dose every other day.  Next week we will be down to every third day.  Vitamin D doses are scheduled for once a week.  And that is it for now.  (Except the weekly Monday/Tuesday Septra doses.  They will continue for at least 3 months after treatment.)

 Brendan wants to continue with his feeding tube at least until he is done with the vanco doses.  He does not want to swallow those.  He felt better about the sodium supplements when I told him they can give him sodium tablets rather than the liquid he is taking now through his tube.

 At school, Brendan wanted to add a third hour class to his schedule.  So he did.  I was afraid he would start overdoing things, but he has managed it all just fine.  He is so excited that he was able to get a fine arts class where they learn to play the ukulele.  When he went to the hospital in October, he was so sad to miss that class.  Now he can finish it.

Brendan was really excited about getting the basketball backboard up today.  His Uncle Sheldon had an extra one, so he let us have it.  Thanks, Sheldon!

 I don't know how we could have managed without the tractor and Joe Loveland.

Brendan couldn't wait to try it out.

 For now, we will just be waiting for Brendan's next clinic visit to be scheduled.  That should happen in about a month.  Then we can follow up with port, feeding tube, endocrine, and kidney questions.  Bone Scan follow ups will be out there somewhere.  More tests will be run on his Vitamin D levels.  His follow up eye exams are in June, and his follow up radiation appointment will be next Valentine's Day 2017.  Endocrine issues will be tested and monitored by the oncology doctors for now.

With the days more routine and going slower, I may not be writing daily anymore.  It will be nice not to have so much to write about.  We have learned to like slow and normal.  But I will continue to write about any new developments as they come up.